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strong as the Brazilian kind. We have seen several of the buyers 
since the sale, and from what they tell us it is pretty evident that the 
larger number of them consider the sheets a much better form than 
the 3 Crepe. There is always a very great suspicion in the minds of 
buyers that in the Crepe the scrap i*' mixed up with it ; but they say 
that in manufacturing the Rubber into the form of sheets this could 
not be done and in this we believe they are right. We would 
strongly recommend you to bring this to the notice of the Estate 
owners, and advise them to adopt the manufacture in sheet form in 
preference to any other. Some of these buyers tell us that they are 
quite satisfied with the produce of the Straits and Ceylon as far as it 
has gone, but they agree with what we have previously written to 
you, that this kind of Rubber is not as strong as Para. This is 
attributed to the fact that the trees from which a good deal of 
Straits and Ceylon Rubber is produced are immature, or compara- 
tively so; and that, as the trees get older, the sap will not only be 
abundant, but will make Rubber of greater strength. 
DAMAGE TO RUBBER PLANTS BY 
PORCUPINES. 
Forest Office, 
TaiPING, ^rd October , 1905. 
Dear Sir, — On a small Para Rubber plantation here, a consi- 
derable amount of damage has been done lately by porcupines. I 
should be very glad to know whether other plantations have suffered 
from the same cause, an d what remedies have been adopted with 
success. 
The porcupine gnaw T s the bark of the trees round the base, in 
some case completely ringing it ; the wound usually reaches the 
wood, and consequently, when healed, leave a rough and scarred 
surface, which will seriously interfere with tapping. 
The animals are not satisfied with any trees which they happer 
to light upon ; they generally take a snack from several trees before 
settling down to a meal. They feed only at night, and do not come 
out when the moon is bright 
I have lately made nurseries which have also been vigorously 
attacked. The seed is allowed to sprout, and the porcupine roots 
up the plant when it is about nine inches high, and eats the seed. 
Nurseries however can be easily protected. 
While the trees only were attacked I failed to find any way of 
dealing with the destroyers, in spite of traps and snares. 
Now that the nursery attracts them all to one spot, I find that 
they can be easily taken in pitfalls. The pit should be made in the 
paths round the seed beds ; these should be at least five feet deep, 
and three feet across the mouth ; the pit should be wider at the 
bottom than at the top, to prevent climbing : two or three pieces of 
6 Me 
